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the NMNH Education Department and is no longer being maintained.
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Hopi Seed Pot:
Look At All Those Seeds!
Before seeds were commercially available, farmers gathered seeds from their best plants
and saved them for planting the following year. To protect these precious seeds, Hopi
women make narrow-necked pots from coils of clay. They do not use a potter's wheel.
By using air dry clay and tempera paints, you can make your own seed pot.
Start with a fist-sized piece of clay. Shape a base that looks like a shallow bowl.
Coils will be added to this base to create the walls of the pot. Coils should be about
three-quarters of an inch in diameter. To form a coil, roll a piece of clay between
the palms of the hands until the coil is long enough to fit around the edge of the base.
Lay the coil onto the base and pinch it into place. Add coils until the pot is the desired
height. With dampened fingers, shape the pot and smooth over the joints between the coils.
Allow the pot to dry. decorate with paint.
Students can bring seeds from foods they eat at home or that they grew in home gardens.
Seeds should be dried in a cool, dry place before they are stored. Stored seeds can be
planted in the Seeds of Change Garden.
